Florida State guard Devon Bookert pulls back for a jump shot against NC State. / John Joyner/The Technician

Written by

Brendan Bures

Sports Editor @BrenBures

Sadly, it now looks like Florida State will not be dancing this year after their loss to NC State Tuesday night. Locked in their fold-out chair on the sidelines of the basketball gym, Florida State’s record appears too ugly for any invitation to the big dance floor of March Madness this year. However, the Seminoles’ season is far from over.

FSU will take on Virginia Tech Sunday night where they will try to begin gaining some momentum before the ACC tournament. The two teams are similar in DNA: both are led by senior stars, but are hampered by inexperience and youth. While these senior leaders—Michael Snaer and Erick Green—are everything a team would want in their top guy, the lack of finesse and technique surrounding them derails each team when they need it the least.

The key to stopping VT lies in limiting their go-to guy Green. Unlike Snaer who is a force on the defensive end, Green excels on offense as the Hokies’ workhorse.

Green plays 89.1 percent of Virginia Tech’s minutes (37th highest in the country) while handling 31.6 percent of their possessions (15th highest), per kenpom.com. Essentially, Green is going to be on the court a lot and the offense is almost always going to run through him. Green leads the nation in scoring, averaging 25.3 points per game. Should Snaer be able to contain the scoring machine, the Seminoles should be able to cruise to a victory.

That is, if they’re able to fix their rebounding problem. FSU gives up a 37.1 offensive rebounding percentage to opposing teams, which is 330th worst in the nation out of 347 teams. Fans and announcers alike look at the three seven-footers on FSU and come away baffled at how the team fumbles so mightily on the boards. Contrary to popular belief, size does not equal rebounding capabilities. Rebounding requires as much technique as it does effort (although many analysts on TV will tell you otherwise for a cheap point, as if the simple act of trying harder will allow any team to rebound better), and technique isn’t something the Seminoles have.

Too often, a Seminole big will jump too quickly for a rebound and they’re left staring as it ricochets past their head. The act of finding a man and putting a body on him to box out is hard for the seven-footers FSU has because the athleticism of younger guys lets them often sneak past the Seminoles for positioning. The ideal rebounding height is somewhere between 6’8” and 6’11”, the height range of both Okaro White and Terrance Shannon. One of those guys is still out with injury while the other is a little leaner than the ideal rebounding weight and often is hurt by early foul trouble.

Florida State’s chances of reaching the NCAA tournament are slimmer than receiving all of one color in a Skittles bag. Their rebounding inefficiencies seem too large of a problem to overcome. However, Terrance Shannon has just been cleared for non-contact practice and depending on just when he comes back, could provide a critical boost for the Seminoles in the ACC Tournament and whatever lies beyond. Florida State faces Virginia Tech Sunday night at 6 p.m. The game can be seen on ESPNU.